


house hunters: alien edition

by spellingbee



Series: Alien AU [4]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blanket Permission, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, House Hunting, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Third Person Limited, Podfic Welcome, kirbace killjoys, kobra's an alien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25534939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellingbee/pseuds/spellingbee
Summary: Dante and Marco suddenly come into some money.Looks like they're going house shopping!
Relationships: Fun Ghoul/Kobra Kid (Danger Days)
Series: Alien AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1527860
Comments: 14
Kudos: 24





	house hunters: alien edition

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello!! i hope this fic finds you well!! 💖  
> ✨👽✨👽✨👽✨👽✨👽✨
> 
> this fic was written as a gift to my fiance, whose birthday is today! [go wish them a happy 26th on tumblr, if you're so inclined!](https://funkobraofficial.tumblr.com/) 🎂
> 
> HUUUGE thank you to my friend [Pink](https://hyperthrust.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading this!! you're the best, you're wonderful, thank you, i appreciate you so much!! 💖😭💖
> 
> please enjoy the fic!! 😘

Dante grips the doorknob and slams his shoulder against the front door as he turns it, shoving it open with what feels like the last of his energy. The door swings open, and he falls into his apartment, barely catching himself by grabbing onto the doorjamb.

"Fuck," he mutters, straightening himself up and stepping into the living room. He slams the door behind him and drops his bag on the floor, walking forward a couple of steps and collapsing face-first onto the sofa... and his boyfriend's lap. "Fuck," he says again, quieter. "Hey, babe."

He feels Marco's fingers in his hair then, the tips scratching along his scalp just  _ perfectly, _ and practically melts into him, turning his head so he can press his face into Marco's belly. After the day he's had, this feels like  _ heaven. _

"Are you okay, Dante?" Marco asks. "You seem exhausted."

"I  _ am," _ he groans. Mustering up his energy, he twists around so he's laying with his head pillowed on Marco's thigh, looking up into his big blue face. And his dual-pupiled eyes full of concern. Damn it. "Just tired of workin' so many hours," he says, letting his eyes fall closed. Marco continues stroking his hair. 

"I had noticed you were leaving the apartment for longer periods of time," Marco says slowly, "but I hadn't realized it was making you so tired. Maybe you should take a break tomorrow. You can rest while I work on my reports."

"Can't," Dante groans. "Used up all my sick leave last month an' had to use up my savings to pay rent." Which  _ sucks, _ because he'd been planning on using that money to buy some new equipment for his podcast. "If I don't work enough hours, we're gonna be behind on rent, maybe some bills, too."

Marco's fingers still in his hair, and then his palm flattens against his head. Dante opens his eyes again to see Marco's sharp teeth on display, his eyes unfocused. He's lost in thought, or maybe checking his spaceman-to-english dictionary for something. "If we fall behind on rent, they may evict us?" 

"Yeah. Or I'll get bad credit or some shit." He lifts an arm and waves his hand dismissively. "Seriously, Marco, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it." He pauses. "Gonna have to delay the next episode of the podcast, though. Don't have time or energy to work on it..." He sighs. "Can I have a kiss?"

Marco slips one of his four arms under Dante's back and tilts him up, leaning forward and down. His lips brush over Dante's own. It's not a proper kiss--Marco's mouth just doesn't work like a human's--but it's still very fuckin' nice. 

"How much is rent?" Marco asks as he gently lowers Dante back to his lap.

"Eleven hundred," he says. "Seriously, babe, don't worry about it, I just gotta work a lil' extra this month, an' then I can go back to normal next month." Retail fucking  _ sucks, _ and Dante would much rather be right here, curled up in his giant boyfriend's lap, or working on his podcast, but unfortunately capitalism is a thing, so he has to work his ass off at a shitty job that doesn't even need  _ doing _ just to make sure they have food and a place to sleep.  _ Ugh. _

"Oh," Marco says, and he wiggles the fingers of one hand. "That is  _ much _ less than I'd thought. Here--I'll transfer the money to your account." His eyes unfocus again, and he makes another hand gesture, and then his eyes refocus on Dante just as Dante's phone buzzes in his pocket. "Now you can take a break and finish your podcast on time! Maybe we can go to that Thai restaurant you mentioned the other day. Eating out is always fun, even if I  _ do _ have to squeeze into the human suit and lose access to a third of my limbs for a while." He clicks his teeth, his version of a laugh.

Dante's barely paying attention, though, too focused on unlocking his phone and opening up his bank app, staring in disbelief at the number on the screen. $1,100 has just been deposited to his account. What the  _ hell? _

"Marco," he interrupts, holding his phone up to his boyfriend's face. "What  _ is _ this?!"

Marco blinks. "It is... your phone?" he asks. "Or... your bank app? Ah, I see the money went through just fine. That's good."

"Marco," he says again, struggling to sit up. "How do you just  _ have _ eleven hundred dollars layin' around?!"

He blinks again. "I don't have--  _ oh, _ right, it's a turn of phrase. I'm granted a monthly stipend, of course. I have to purchase supplies for my studies of earth, after all."

"How much is your  _ stipend?!" _ Dante demands. Holy hell, he knew Marco got money to support his experiments and research and shit, but Dante's thought it was like, a reimbursement type system or something. He didn't know Marco just  _ had money _ laying around!

"I'm not sure," Marco says. "The Board set up a bank account in my name, and I don't really look at it. I just use it to make purchases. Your economic system and the value of your currency is very strange and confusing."

_ "Marco.  _ This is important.  _ Please _ check your bank account balance."

Marco watches him for a moment, and then flicks his fingers, his version of a shrug. "Okay," he says, and his eyes go unfocused. There's a pause, and then he says, "Currently, I have fifteen million, nine hundred ninety-three thousand, two hundred eleven dollars and seventy-three cents."

The world seems to flip end over end, and Dante's ears are filled with ringing. He feels Marco's hand on his shoulder.

"You have... you have  _ fifteen _ **_million_ ** dollars?! In your  _ bank account?!" _

"Fifteen million, nine hundred ninety-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, almost  _ sixteen fucking million dollars?! _ Marco! Holy  _ shit _ do you know what this means?!"

Another finger-flick.  _ How can he finger-flick at a time like this?! _ "Something important, is my guess? Why? Dante, is this a bad thing?"

"No!" Dante leans forward, kneeling on Marco's leg braces, and grabs his shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes. Marco blinks. "Marco. Sixteen million dollars is a lot of money. Shit,  _ one _ million dollars is a lot of money! I don't think I'd ever make that much in a  _ lifetime! _ "

"I... didn't realize." Marco seems to be at a loss for words. 

"Marco, holy shit. Are you allowed to spend that money however you want?!"

"Yes. As long as it is for research purposes or to maintain a comfortable living space."

Dante's mind is  _ whirling _ at the possibilities. He can't wrap his head around all of it! "Marco, holy  _ shit. _ We could move outta this dump! Get a new apartment, get--get a fuckin'  _ house! _ Someplace you can walk around as yourself without worryin' about people seein' you or closin' all the blinds or about bumpin' your head on the ceiling. Someplace where the front door doesn't stick an' the neighbors don't yell at us for bein' too loud!"

Marco's cheeks turn purple. "I am still sorry about that. Had I known I would shout so loud, I--"

"Marco, babe, Mrs. Nielson will take  _ any _ opportunity to yell at  _ anyone _ through the walls, an'  _ anyway, _ that's not the  _ point! _ Marco." Dante gently but firmly grips the sides of Marco's face and stares him in the eyes. "Marco. You can actually be  _ comfortable. _ An' I can... I can quit my shitty job! Work from home, work..." his heart is  _ pounding _ in his damn chest! "...I can work on my podcast  _ full time!" _

Marco's face lights up. "That is what you've always wanted to do!" he exclaims, and leans forward to press his forehead to Dante's. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the money before. If I had realized how much it was... and how much it would help you...."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Dante kisses Marco's forehead. "An' it's not just for  _ me,  _ okay? It's for  _ you. _ For  _ us." _

"Us." Marco shifts, pressing his face into Dante's neck. "A home... where I can be myself? I would only have to appear human when we left the house?"

"Yeah. We'll get a big house, big enough for us to run around in--like,  _ literally _ run around--with ceilings, like, ten feet up, so you'll  _ never _ hit your head. The doorways'll be taller'n you, too, so you don't even have to  _ duck." _

"I... I would very much like that."

"Yeah?" Dante grins, wrapping his arms around Marco's shoulders, hugging him tight. "Then we're goin'  _ house shoppin',  _ babe!"

\-----

"Good morning. You must be Mr. Gallo and Mr. Campbell," says the bald man standing in the shade between several trees--Marco thinks they're trees, anyway, but they may actually be tall bushes, or even grasses of some kind. He still finds the human classification of plants very confusing. "I'm Korse," the man continues, stepping out onto the sidewalk and extending his hand, offering up the greeting known as a  _ "handshake." _ "We spoke on the phone."

Dante takes the man's hand and shakes it. "Hey! You can call me Dante. This is my boyfriend, Marco."

"Pleased to meet you," Marco says, replacing Dante's hand with his own. He can't stop staring at the top of the man's head. Now that he's standing in the sun, the light reflects off the pale skin. It's fascinating. Marco has no hair on his own body--when he's in his true form and not pretending to be a human, of course--and he can't help but compare the way this man's head looks with that of his own people. What is it that makes the scalp reflect the sun so? Dante's skin doesn't do that--but then, Dante has  _ hair _ on the top of his head, thick black hair. Maybe if Dante shaved his head he'd look much the same? Ah, but Marco  _ likes _ Dante's hair, it would be a shame if he shaved it off... Hmm....

Dante squeezes their own linked hands then, and Marco realizes he's been shaking the man's hand for far longer than appropriate. He clears his throat and releases it. "I apologize. You've found several houses for us to look at?"

"I have." Korse stares at him for a moment with an expression Marco doesn't quite understand, and then he produces a computer tablet from somewhere on his person and looks down at the screen.  _ Phew! _ Hopefully Marco didn't say or do anything to make him suspicious of his humanity. "It wasn't difficult to find  _ many _ homes in your price range of  _ one hundred thousand  _ to  _ five million _ dollars," he continues. Marco has recently learned that this is quite a bit of money. "However, your requirements that the house be 'huge, open-concept, with ceilings at least ten feet high and a backyard with a ten-foot or taller privacy wall'  _ did _ make the search a bit more difficult." He tucks the tablet under one arm. "I've found three that I think you'll find acceptable. If you'll follow me, please?" Korse turns and walks away from them, back into the trees. Or bushes. Or stalks of grass.

Dante readily follows him, and Marco is pulled along by the tether that is their still-clasped hands. "Whaddaya think of this place so far, Marco?"

Marco, who can't see anything yet except a narrow concrete--or is it  _ cement? _ Or perhaps a type of stone?--path running between tall plants on either side, says, "It's very... nice. Pretty."

"Your requirements for your home are very... unique," Korse says. The path has turned into a series of steps made from the same material. "Might I ask your reasoning for these?"

Oh, no. Marco halts only a few steps up. The reasoning is, of course, that Marco wants to be able to walk around the house, inside and out, in his true form without being visible to any neighbors or random passersby, and be comfortable while doing so, but they can't simply  _ tell _ this man such a thing! Oh, no! They haven't prepared a lie to tell! They hadn't thought they would need to! Marco glances at Dante, who's sending him a panicked look as well, and if they don't answer him soon, they'll have paused too long, and he'll grow suspicious! But what is he supposed to  _ say?! _ Marco doesn't know why a  _ normal _ person would make a request like this!

"We're artists," Dante suddenly blurts out. "We, uh, we need the space to. To hang our... our art."

"Oh?" Korse sounds interested, and having also paused on the steps, turns to look at them both.

"Yes!" Marco exclaims, hoping to help Dante sell their lie. He quickly searches his dictionary for an appropriate thing to say. "Art is a skill acquired by experience, study, or observation." 

"I... am aware of the definition of the word." Korse stares at him again with that same odd expression, and then shakes his head and continues climbing the stairs. "Never mind. I'm sure you'll find this house suits your  _ artistic _ style."

Marco exchanges another glance with Dante, who shrugs; Marco supposes that means they've done an adequate job of selling their lie. What a relief. 

They continue up the stairs. There are far too many steps; it's fine on a day like today, but sometimes Marco's legs are weaker than normal, and he doesn't think that he will be physically able to climb these on a day like that. He whispers this to Dante when they reach the top of the stairs, afraid that saying such a thing will somehow alert Korse to their lies.

Dante glances down the stairs. "We can put in a ramp or something," he says, sounding uncertain. "If we like the place enough."

That sounds reasonable. Marco nods, and then looks around at the house itself.

They're standing on a porch--a  _ wraparound _ porch, Marco thinks, proud of himself for remembering the term. There's a railing all around it, and the whole porch is covered by a little roof, supported by several arches. It's very pretty.

Korse produces a key from one of his pockets and uses it to unlock the door, which is painted a bright blue. He opens the door and gestures for them to step inside; they do so, and Marco is... not  _ impressed, _ but he does enjoy the roominess he experiences inside.

The ceilings are certainly high, but mostly at the peak. The ceiling is triangular, coming down from the center to meet the walls on either side, with wooden beams stretching across the open spaces. Marco hasn't managed to train his brain to think in  _ feet _ or  _ inches, _ still thinking in the units of measurement his own people use, but he's sure the ceiling is only high enough at the peak, and that the beams are low enough to the ground that he wouldn't be able to walk around in his true form without ducking under them. This is a disappointing fact.

"This house was built in the forties," Korse is saying, "though it's had several remodels over the years. There are two bedrooms, as well as two and a half baths, and--"

"Half?" Marco interrupts, confused. "How can you have only half a bath? That sounds difficult to manage. Inconvenient." A bathtub is the size it is for a reason. Surely by shrinking it by  _ half, _ you would cause many more problems than necessary?

Korse gives him that  _ look _ again, and Dante tugs on his hand, capturing his attention. "It just means that there's two normal bathrooms an' a third that's just got, like, a toilet an' a sink," he says, sounding a little nervous.  _ Oh. _ Marco has made a mistake.

"Anyway," Korse says, turning away. "Here's the kitchen. As you can see, the counters are granite..."

Marco keeps quiet while Korse shows them around the house, afraid that he'll say something  _ wrong _ again. He also finds that he is rather unimpressed with this house. It's truly only a bit bigger than his and Dante's apartment, and has too much wrong with the sizing; the door frames are all too low, and when they go out to the backyard, Dante points out that the neighbors in the house behind this lot can look out their second story window directly into the yard. 

It definitely won't work for them.

They arrange with Korse to head to the next house with him tomorrow, and then they go their separate ways. Marco is thoroughly disappointed.

\-----

**FROM: LOLA:** So how goes the house hunt??

**TO:LOLA:** IT WAS A COMPLETE BUST. THE PLACE WAS TO SMALL FOR MARCO AND HAD TO MANY STAIRS, PLUS THE NEIGHBORS COULD PRACTICALLY SEE THE ENTIRE HOUSE FROM THERE LIVING ROOM.

**FROM:** **LOLA:** Aw :'( But you're gonna look at more right??

**TO: LOLA:** YEAH. GOT ANOTHER LINED UP FOR TOMORROW. ITS ALMOST $5MILION AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MEANS ITS GOOD OR WORSE.

**FROM: LOLA:** Ooh, expensive!! :0c I still can't believe you're so rich now!! :D You should bring that blue apatite I gave you with you tomorrow!! It will help manifest your desires in reality! :D

**TO: LOLA:** OK. THANKS LOLA. 

**FROM: LOLA:** Good luck Dante! :D

  
  


\-----

Marco can only stare out the window in awe as the house comes into view. "This is our next potential home?" he asks Dante, who squeezes his hand.

"Yeah," he says. "It's the biggest an' most expensive of all of 'em, I guess. But that doesn't mean it'll be the best! It--holy  _ shit, _ that's  _ huge!" _

Marco is never quite sure of what's normal here on Earth as opposed to what's normal on his home planet, especially given the wide variety of cultures and socioeconomic status on this planet, so although his initial reaction upon seeing the house pull into view--a few minutes after passing through the gate near the street--had been amazement at its size and design, he hadn't been terribly sure if that reaction was  _ appropriate _ until Dante had voiced his own opinion.

The house is  _ very _ large, perhaps as wide--or even  _ wider _ \--than his and Dante's own apartment building, and though it seems to be only two stories as opposed to the building's four, he would guess that it's nearly as tall as the apartment building, as well. Which  _ certainly _ bodes well for Marco's ability to stand and walk around inside of it.

Korse parks the car near the front entrance, which is surrounded by what seems to be a shorter, more well-trimmed version of those same trees-or-bushes from yesterday's house. 

"I trust you find the architecture attractive," Korse says once Marco and Dante are both standing nearby. Marco knows he should probably stop staring at the house in such a...  _ dumbfounded _ manner, but he simply can't help himself. Though there are many windows set into the front of the house, there are three larger ones set high above the front door, clearly meant for decoration rather than to provide a view to the outside, as they seem to be made of many panels of multi-colored glass, arranged into swirling patterns. They are  _ breathtaking. _

"The stained glass windows are hand-crafted by a local artisan," Korse says, drawing his attention away. "There are several more pieces throughout the house, which I'm sure you'll enjoy. Now, if the two of you would like to see the inside?"

Marco follows right behind Korse, pulling his boyfriend along behind him. The architecture on this house is  _ fascinating, _ and he can't  _ wait _ to study it. Is it a recent build? Or an older one? Does it follow a specific set of architecture rules, or is it simply whatever the builders had found aesthetically pleasing? Perhaps he should write his next report on architecture; he's sure that the Board would find it as fascinating as he does.

The front entrance is  _ much _ larger than most of the other doors Marco has encountered here on Earth, being comprised of two separate doors, the frames high enough that he's certain he could walk through it in his true form without even grazing the top of his head on the wood. The three of them step inside. 

_ "Shit," _ Dante says, in a tone Marco has decided can only be described as  _ reverent. _ It immediately snatches his attention away from the pristine white walls and high, arching ceiling, because that is  _ not _ a tone Marco's used to hearing outside of their home. He feels his face heat up for a moment, but then he catches Dante's wide-eyed amazement, and he feels his mouth stretch into a grin. He loves Dante's wonder.

"Yes, please look around," Korse says. "The spiral staircase is a particularly showy piece, I think. You'll find that the ornate railing ties together several other elements of the design."

The floor seems to be made of stone tiles, white and so shiny that Marco's almost afraid to walk on them, afraid his dirty shoes will scuff them. He turns his attention upwards, attempting to judge how high the ceiling is.

"The crown molding," Korse says, and Marco has no idea what  _ crown molding _ is, "I think you'll like, as well. A very nice touch."

"Uh," says Dante, and his tone has changed from  _ wonder _ to  _ nervous. _ "Yeah, uh, I love... crown molding." 

Marco looks over at him again, sees him shove his hands into the pockets of his pants.  _ That _ isn't a good sign. 

"This house has seven bedrooms and five baths," Korse continues, leading them through the house as though he doesn't notice Dante's plight, "and two half-baths. The living room is located right over here, you see, and there are two other rooms of a similar size, one upstairs and the other in the opposite wing."

"Wing," Dante mumbles. "This place has  _ wings?" _

"I did not see any from the outside," Marco quietly tells him. "But as elegant as the decorations are, perhaps nature or  _ angels _ were used as inspiration, and the wings--likely feathery, based on the looks of the decor--are simply more aesthetic additions placed somewhere inside the home?"

Dante bursts out laughing, perplexingly, and Korse stops in his tour, staring blankly at Dante until he quiets down. 

"Is there a problem, Mr. Gallo?" Korse asks, and Dante snorts, shakes his head.

"Didn't mean to interrupt. My boyfriend just told a joke. It was, uh, a real artsy joke, you wouldn't get it."

Something in Korse's face tightens, as though he takes offense to this. "I see," he says. "You know, I am actually something of a lover of the arts, myself." He draws closer, his shoes squeaking against the floor. "I wouldn't mind hearing this  _ joke, _ if you wouldn't mind repeating it."

Marco glances at Dante, who glances at  _ him, _ seemingly at a loss. Well, what is  _ Marco _ supposed to do?! He doesn't understand most Earth-based humor, hadn't even been  _ attempting _ to make a joke--only to reassure his ungrateful boyfriend--and is  _ terrified _ of messing up and ruining their cover story.

Well... what choice does he have? He turns back to Korse.

"I simply stated that if the house  _ does _ have wings, they would likely be the feathered kind. as the aesthetics would pair well with what we've seen so far."

Dante snorts again, bumping Marco's arm with his shoulder in a way that Marco's learned is a companionable gesture. He still doesn't understand what's funny.

Korse, on the other hand, simply stares at Marco for a moment longer, expression unchanging, and then says, "I see. Anyway... shall we continue?"

Marco finds the tour  _ fascinating, _ examining all of the design and marvelling at the skill and technical knowledge necessary to build such a structure. He wouldn't mind living here at  _ all. _

Dante, on the other hand, is strangely quiet the entire time. 

When Korse steps away to answer his phone toward the end of the tour, Marco pulls Dante aside. "Are you well?" he asks. "You don't seem very enthusiastic."

"It's just..." Dante bites his lip. Oh, Marco  _ hates _ seeing him nervous. It happens so rarely, and each time, it pulls at Marco's heart. "It's  _ too much," _ he says in a rush. "Too big, too  _ fancy, _ too.. too  _ much. _ I don't like it, I can't imagine  _ living _ here, it's--it's too  _ big _ for just the two of us, an'  _ yeah _ it's nice to have so many bedrooms for when our friends or my parents or my cousin or  _ whoever _ come to visit, but for the most part it's gonna be just  _ us, _ and I'm sorry, Marco, I know you like the place, I know it's huge enough for you to be  _ yourself _ all the time, but I just--I  _ just--!" _

"Dante." Marco gently places a hand on Dante's shoulder, drawing him closer. Dante looks up, meeting his eye. "It's  _ fine. _ If you don't like this house, then we won't purchase it. If this is to be  _ our _ home, then we should  _ both _ love it, yes?"

Dante's quiet for a moment longer, and then he smiles, wide and silly, and he tugs Marco down by his shoulders to place a kiss on his forehead. Marco's heart flutters. "I love you," he murmurs against the skin there. He pulls away just as quickly, and says, "Then let's see the next house, huh?"

Marco squeezes his hands.

\-----

**TO: LOLA:** EMBARRASSED MYSELF IN FRONT OF MY BOYFRIEND TODAY LOLA

**FROM: LOLA:** Lol don't you do that everyday?

**TO: LOLA:** I'M WOUNDED. I'M USUALLY VERY SWAB.

**FROM:** **LOLA:** Swab?

**TO: LOLA:** *SWAV OR HOWEVER YOU SPELL IT. DAMN AUTO CORRECT.

**TO: LOLA:** ANYWAY. HAD A FREAK OUT OVER THE HOUSE BEING TO BIG AND SOBBED ON HIS SHOULDER. EMBARRASSING AS DUCK.

**FROM: LOLA:** Ohhh!! Aw Dante i'm sure he didn't have a problem with it! Marco loves you!!

**TO: LOLA:** I KNOW THAT. THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO EMBARRASSING!

**FROM: LOLA:** I think you think too much sometimes! 

**TO: LOLA:** MAYBE BUT I'M NOT GOING TO STOP! 

**TO: LOLA:** ANYWAY WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE LAST HOUSE TOMORROW. IF WE DON'T LIKE THIS ONE WE ARE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER TO MOVE.

**FROM: LOLA:** Good luck Dante! 

**TO: LOLA:** THANKS

\-----

The exterior of the third and final house isn't quite as  _ impressive _ as the second had been, but Marco finds that he likes it just as much.

He and Dante are in the backseat of Korse's car again, their knees bumping against each other. They probably should have purchased a car before they'd gone house-hunting, but Dante had said he "didn't know shit" about buying cars, and anyway finding a new place to live was more important. Marco  _ also _ doesn't know shit about buying cars--or houses, for that matter--so he's happy to leave all that to Dante.

"It looks like a castle," Marco says without really stopping to think about it, but really, it  _ does _ look a bit like a castle. The house's walls are made of light gray stone, and it seems to be comprised of three different sections; a circular middle section flanked on either side by a rectangular section. The roof is a dark blue that contrasts beautifully with the gray stone, and the front door and windows are all arch-shaped. Marco thinks that perhaps arches are a sign of wealth here on Earth.

The house is  _ much _ smaller than the  _ mansion _ they'd seen yesterday, but still much  _ larger _ than the house they'd seen on the first day, and has either three stories or two; he isn't certain whether the uppermost windows are set into separate floors or simply higher up the wall of the second story.

"It's lovely," he says as Korse parks the car.

"Yeah," Dante breathes, and they share a look. Marco can tell they're both excited, and hopeful.

The interior is just as nice as Marco had been expecting, all light colors and high ceilings. There's plenty of open space for Marco without being too much for Dante to handle. 

The walls are a bit boring, with just the arched windows for decoration, but Marco can easily see these rooms becoming  _ theirs _ once they bring in their things, their photographs and decorations and Dante's collection of cryptozoological posters.

"Hey, Marco, check it out!" Dante calls from down the hall, as Marco's still studying the little chair attached to the staircase (apparently one can sit on it and press a button, and the chair will automatically move up the stairs, carrying its passenger safely up or down. Perfect for Marco's sometimes-weak legs). "You could use this room for your lab--uhhh," he cuts himself off as he catches Korse's eye. "I mean, your... art... studio..."

There's a moment of silence, and then Korse sighs and walks away, shaking his head. Marco catches Dante's eye, and they both share a little grin of amusement.

The room  _ does _ seem like an excellent place to set up his research. A wide space with a single window looking out over the back yard, with a shiny (but not  _ too _ shiny) stone-tiled floor and plenty of room for tables, refrigeration, a television, and anything else he might need for his research of Earth.

The backyard also meets all of their requirements, with a high hedge--Marco's finally learned the proper name for those bush-tree plants!--surrounding it, and all the nearby neighbors still far enough away that there's no possible way for them to see into the yard without purposely going out of their way to do so, likely breaking several trespassing laws in the process.

The yard is long and wide, with two small sheds sat close together at the far end. Part of the yard is covered with similar stone tiles to the indoor flooring, but most of it is a wide swathe of green grass. It would be quite easy to tear that out and plant some new things there, plants he could study....

There's also a tall stone statue of a naked man in the center of the yard, something that Dante takes one look at and bursts out laughing (Korse seems quite offended by this, though he says nothing). "I've got  _ plans _ for that bad boy," he tells Marco quietly as they head back inside.

This time, when Korse asks them their thoughts, Marco and Dante agree to purchase the house right then and there.

\-----

It's strange, packing up all of their belongings. Marco hasn't lived here very long--less than a year here on Earth (which is close to three cycles of his home planet, he's since learned). He hadn't realized how much he had truly integrated his life into this small apartment until he and Dante were filling boxes with their things, disassembling furniture, tearing things off the walls.

He thinks a lot of this would be easier if he could make use of his true form with double the arms of this human form, but of course there are other people coming in and out of the apartment to help them, and only a few of them know Marco  _ isn't _ a human.

Marco carefully takes the box of podcasting equipment from Dante and carries it out of the apartment, down the stairs to the moving truck, where their couch and their bed frame and their table and their shelves already wait, stacked inside among boxes and bags. He slides the box inside, making sure it's arranged in such a way that it can't slide around too much on the way there, and that nothing heavy can fall on it and potentially break Dante's microphone or anything else inside of it.

It's strange, seeing all of their belongings condensed into such a small space like this. He hadn't thought it would  _ affect _ him in such a way, exciting him and terrifying him and making him feel... ugh, he doesn't  _ know _ what. It's just  _ strange. _

He's moved three times before in his life: once as a child, leaving the shallows to live in his parents' home in the deep waters; once as a teenager, leaving the water behind to live on the surface with his sibling; and once more just a few cycles ago, leaving the planet entirely to live and work in space, studying the people of Earth. They were all nerve-wracking, yes, but none of them felt as  _ strange _ as this one does.

Well, perhaps he's moved four times, with the most recent being leaving the ship to live with Dante. But that hadn't seemed so much  _ moving house _ as  _ coming home. _

Maybe that's what the difference between all those other times and this time is, then. He's found his home, here on Earth, and he'd thought it was the tiny apartment he shared with Dante, but now it's a new place entirely, a new home to share with Dante. A home more suited to both of them.

_ Strange. _

Someone sets another box down in the truck beside him, and he turns toward them, wondering how long he's been standing here contemplating...  _ everything. _

Their downstairs neighbor, Gabe, grins at him. "You okay, Marco?" he asks, and there's a glimmer in his eye that implies a  _ knowing. _ "There's just a couple more boxes, and then you two can head out."

"I am fine," he says, straightening up. "I hadn't realized we were so close to finished. Thank you for your help, Gabe."

Gabe watches him a moment longer, then, without taking his eyes off of him, reaches back to pull his long, curly hair into a ponytail. He pulls his hair away from his ear, tilting his head toward Marco in a way that puts on display a strange, circular scar just behind his ear. Something about the placement and size of the scar seems familiar to Marco, but he politely doesn't say anything.

"It's no problem," Gabe says a moment later, and Marco realizes then that perhaps Gabe had wanted him to say something else, been waiting for something? "You know Shaw and I are always available to help out. Birds of a feather stick together and all that, right?"

"Er," says Marco, thoroughly confused. He's aware of the meaning of the idiom, but unsure as to how it connects him with either Gabe or Gabe's partner, Shaw. "Yes. Well, thank you."

A look of disappointment flitters across Gabe's face, and he looks as if he's about to say something, but suddenly Dante's there, throwing three boxes (Marco hopes they're full of soft, non-breakable items) into the back of the truck and then hopping into himself, and leaning over to wrap his arms around Marco's head. 

"Can you fuckin'  _ believe _ it?!" Dante exclaims, releasing him just enough to kiss his forehead. "We're  _ done, _ babe, we're all set to move out!  _ Fuck, _ it's gonna be so nice not havin' to work at that shitty store anymore."

"Congrats again," Gabe says, "on winning that inheritance suit."

"Thank you," Marco says. Dante had suggested this particular lie to explain away their apparent sudden wealth: that Marco had been awarded a substantial sum by a deceased relative. Marco doesn't know enough about Earth economy and heritage and lawsuits to go into details about it, but it's easy enough to pretend.

Easier than pretending to be an artist, at any rate.

Dante and Marco move to the front of the truck, with Dante taking the driver's seat and Marco sitting beside him in the passenger's seat. Gabe and Shaw stand on the sidewalk, along with Lola and Kai, waving to them as they pull away from the apartment and start off down the road, on their way to their new home.

"Will you miss living so close to your friends?" Marco asks, watching in the rearview mirror as the group disappears into the distance. 

"Yeah," Dante says. "'Course I will. But it's not like we're movin'  _ too _ far away--just a town over--an' we got phones an' Twitter an' all that good shit to stay connected. Plus all that  _ room _ if they wanna stay over for a weekend. Or a couple weeks. Whatever." He turns his head to give Marco a grin before focusing on the road again. "Do you miss livin' so close to your sibling?"

Marco hums. "I do," he says. "They left for space a few cycles before I myself did. I'm glad that I can talk to them a little more easily now that I am not being so closely monitored by the Board, as I was when I lived on the ship, but I  _ do _ wish I could speak to them more often... or see them face to face for a while.

Dante nods. "I get that," he says. "Hey, if they have one of those cool human-disguise-and-translator thingies like you've got, maybe they could come visit us without the Central Government or whatever bein' any wiser!"

"Yes," Marco says, heart leaping in his chest at the thought. "It's difficult to get ahold of them in any official capacity, but I hear that if you have the right connections, it's easy enough to get somewhat lower-quality ones on the black market. They--" he cuts himself off, realization rushing through him as he suddenly makes the connection.  _ "Fuck," _ he says.

Dante startles. "Holy shit, Marco, you  _ swore!  _ Damn, I didn't know you could  _ do _ that--is everything okay, babe?"

Marco turns to him, unaware of what his expression may look like. "Dante," he says. "I believe Gabe is no more human than I am."

_ "What?!" _ Dante jerks the wheel to one side, narrowly avoiding an accident. "Marco, what the fuck, you can't just--how do you  _ know?!" _

"The scar," he says, pressing his fingers against his skull, the place right behind his ear where his own translator is. "He has a scar just here. Mine doesn't have a scar, because it was professionally implanted, but if his was done illegally..."

The interior of the truck is silent for a few long moments, and then Dante laughs, a sharp, high sound. "You mean to tell me," he says, "that not only is my  _ boyfriend _ a cool as fuck alien, but my fuckin'  _ downstairs neighbor _ who I said  _ hi _ to every morning for like  _ two goddamn years _ is  _ also _ an alien?!" He laughs again. "Marco. Life is fuckin'  _ weird." _

Marco can't disagree.

\-----

**TO: LOLA:** HOUSE WARMING PARTY ON SATURDAY. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.

**FROM: LOLA:** Ooh, we can't wait! I'll bring over some crystals and things to really make your house feel like home!

**FROM: LOLA:** And Kai says he'll bring his boombox!

**TO: LOLA:** SOUNDS GREAT. WAIT TILL YOU SEE WHAT ME AND MARCO DID IN THE BACK YARD. ITS HILARIOUS.

**FROM: LOLA:** !!! See you then! :D

Dante puts his phone down on his nightstand and looks over at Marco, who's standing by the window, gazing outside. He's big and blue and standing at full height, no longer forced to stoop over inside the house.

"How ya feelin', babe?" Dante asks, and Marco turns toward him, sharp teeth clicking together.

"Very good," he says, crossing the room. He stops in front of Dante, who's seated on the bed, and stretches his back pair of arms up into the air. His fingers just barely brush the ceiling. "I hadn't realized how cramped the apartment was until we had left it behind."

Dante laughs, reaching toward him. Marco's too tall for Dante to grab his shoulders, but he catches one of his front hands and tugs him closer, until he takes the hint and sits down on the bed beside him. 

"I love you," Dante says, turning his head to press a kiss to Marco's arm.

"I love you, too," Marco says, and pulls Dante tightly to his side with two arms. "Do you think the statue will really trick people?"

Dante laughs again, closing his eyes as he leans against his boyfriend. "No," he says. "But if some asshole sees you sunbathin' in the back yard an' calls the cops, pointin' out that the big, four-armed blue alien in our yard is, in fact, a shitty statue decorated by an artsy gay couple'll  _ definitely _ make people think the neighbor's lost it."

Marco clicks his teeth again, then tugs them both backward so that they're laying down. "It will be nice to spend time outside," he says, "without having to hide myself." He pauses. "And you're happy here? You  _ will _ be happy?"

"Duh." Dante shifts around, maneuvering himself around so he's face-to-face with Marco, instead of face-to-chest. "No more shitty retail job, no more shitty apartment with shitty old ladies bangin' on the walls whenever we sneeze. A big space for my boyfriend to be safe an' comfy an' do his work in peace. Marco. This is a whole new chapter of our fuckin'  _ lives." _

"I'm glad, then. You can finally do what you love full-time. Without having to worry about... food, or rent." Marco presses his forehead to his. "You can live your life."

"We can live  _ our _ life," Dante says, and kisses the hell out of him.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! i hope you enjoyed the continuing tale of dante and marco's life together!! feel free to leave kudos or a comment down below! i'd love to hear your thoughts!! you can also message me on tumblr [(@enby-jetstar)](https://enby-jetstar.tumblr.com/) if you'd like!!
> 
> ✨💘✨happy birthday, acey. you're my favorite person in the whole world. ✨💘✨


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